Methods, devices, and systems have been developed in various fields of technology for electronic communication. For example, circuit boards have been used in various methods of electronic communication to provide physical support for various electrical components and to electrically couple various electrical components together.
A circuit board can, for instance, be used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways and/or traces, etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. A common type of circuit board is a printed circuit board (PCB).
Printed circuit boards can be made by bonding a layer of copper over the entire substrate and removing unwanted copper after applying a temporary mask (e.g. by etching), leaving only the desired copper traces. Some printed circuit boards can be made by adding traces to the substrate by a complex process of multiple electroplating steps.
Some approaches for printing a circuit board using subtractive method include silk screen printing, photoengraving, and PCB milling, among others. Silk screen printing, for example, can use etch-resistant inks to protect the copper foil and subsequent etching removes the unwanted copper.
Photoengraving can use a photomask and chemical etching to remove the copper foil from the substrate. PCB milling can use a two or three-axis mechanical milling system to mill away the copper foil from the substrate.
Electronic components can be attached to a printed circuit board to form a functional printed circuit assembly (PCA). In through-hole construction, component leads can be inserted in holes. In surface-mount construction, the components can be placed on pads and/or lands on the outer surfaces of the printed circuit board. In both kinds of construction, component leads can be electrically and mechanically fixed to the board with molten metal solder. The electrical components can be electrically coupled together to form an electrical, device that can be part of a communications system.
A number of electrical components can be physically and electrically coupled to the circuit board. Such circuit boards can, for example, include communications modules that can be used in a system for electrical communication, including wireless communication.
A component's placement on the circuit board is dependent on the contact pattern that is created by the contacts on the circuit board. Circuit boards can be mass produced at a reduced cost, but are limited in their functionality as they are designed to be used in one configuration with one set of components. Accordingly, when a new configuration is to be used, a circuit designer has to create a new design, verify that the design will work, and in some instances, get the design approved for use.
Circuit boards can also be custom fabricated to create any desired contact pattern that can accommodate a given electrical component. Circuit boards with a custom contact pattern are flexible with regard to their electrical component compatibility, but can be more costly and/or time consuming to fabricate.
In the field of wireless sensing circuits for monitoring the activities of an individual, a circuit board assembly for a sensor has at least one sensing component, a power supply, and a communications component, however, the types of components used may differ by application. As discussed above, each time a different component is to be implemented, the circuit designer has to design, assemble, verify it will work for the application based upon the characteristics of the circuit and have the circuit approved for use, if necessary. This can be a time consuming and/or expensive process in some instances.